


in the fast lane

by kagehinataboke



Series: kagehina one-shots [20]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Alternate Universe - Middle School, First Meetings, M/M, Meet-Cute, One Shot, Short & Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-22
Updated: 2019-03-22
Packaged: 2019-11-27 23:10:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18200258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kagehinataboke/pseuds/kagehinataboke
Summary: a line of bikes loudly speeding past clears the fog away: Hinata must’ve been running on the wrong part of the sidewalk. he was so distracted that he definitely wouldn’t have gotten out of the way if he hadn’t been tackled.his savior isn’t in a fantastic mood about having to do it, though. “youdumbass. what were you thinking, running in the bike lane? it’s obviously forbikes.”— a kagehina one-shot





	in the fast lane

Late. He’s so incredibly  _late_. He promised his parents he could get to the train station on his own, but he lost track of time and now he’s twenty minutes away when the train leaves in fifteen. Obviously, that’s a big problem. Even running at top speed, he isn’t sure he can get there quick enough.

His mom calls him to rub salt in the wound. “Shouyou, where  _are_  you? You promised to be here at noon.”

“I’m sorry,” he gasps out between heavy breaths. If he stops running, there’s no chance he’ll make it on time. “I’m going… as fast… as I can.”

“The train will leave whether you’re on it or not,” she reminds him, as if he didn’t already know that. “If you’re not here in ten minutes, you’ll be stuck here for the summer.”

Hinata wants to yell at her that there are dozens of other trains that go to Tokyo, but he might die if he raises his blood pressure any higher. “Yes,” he settles on, hanging up before his heart explodes.

The blood is rushing so loudly through his ears that he can barely think straight. Running at a full sprint for three miles isn’t something he pictured himself doing on a Saturday morning. Going to Tokyo for the summer isn’t something he pictured doing, either, but his uncle lives there. Hinata refused his invitations to visit before, but he’s eager to get out of Miyagi for a while this year, before he starts high school.

His uncle promises that Tokyo is both huge and exciting, and Hinata could really use some fun right now. He’s still deoressed about his inability to start a middle school volleyball team, and while high school will be a fresh start, he needs some cheering up. Of course, running down the sidewalk at eleven AM like a crazy person is the  _opposite_  of fun, but that can’t be helped.

 _You’re dying,_  Hinata’s brain wails at him.  _You’re going to drop dead: say goodbye to much more than Tokyo. You won’t even live to see high school, much less join a volleyball team._

Maybe he’s overreacting a little, but life is seeming pretty dismal. And—obviously—it can only get worse.

“Hey, moron,  _watch out_!”

Hinata isn’t sure what he should process first: the insult or the warning. Before he can respond to either, someone yanks him roughly to the side, knocking them both off balance. The world slips into slow motion as his muscles tense and his breath rattles in, almost too easily. He’s going to miss the train: that’s the only thought that breaks through the haze.

A line of bikes loudly speeding past clears the fog away: Hinata must’ve been running on the wrong part of the sidewalk. He was so distracted that he definitely wouldn’t have gotten out of the way if he hadn’t been tackled.

His savior isn’t in a fantastic mood about having to do it, though. “You  _dumbass_. What were you thinking, running in the bike lane? It’s obviously for  _bikes_.”

“I was— I mean I  _am_  in a hurry!” Hinata exclaims, crashing back into his senses. He struggles to sit up, eyes searching for—and failing to find—a clock. “What time is it? Oh no, oh no… I’m not going to make it.”

“You’re definitely not going to make it if you don’t stop hyperventilating.”

Hinata turns to the stranger who saved him, but no words come out when he opens his mouth. He has trouble thinking straight for an entirely different reason now. The guy can’t be much older than Hinata: he’s wearing a club uniform that reads ‘Kageyama’ on the chest. His eyes are incredibly  _blue_ , too, which is stupid to notice right now, but it’s true: they look like the ocean. He’s got super dark hair that makes them stand out even more.

Unfortunately, his scowl ruins the dazzling effect. “Where are you going in such a hurry that you couldn’t bother to follow  _basic_  traffic laws, idiot?”

“I… I don’t have time to explain.” Hinata backs away from him, knowing he’s definitely late and that he has to go  _right now_. “Thanks for your help! I really owe you one!”

“At least tell me your name!” Kageyama shouts after him irritably when he takes off running again. “ _Hey_!”

“It’s Hinata Shouyou!” he yells over his shoulder. “I have to go! I’m sorry!”

A part of him wants to stay, but he  _needs_  to get to the train station. If he doesn’t make it, then he’ll have time to come back and give a proper thank you. Until then, he’ll just have to remember what Kageyama looks like and eventually find him again.

But Kageyama follows him, catching up in seconds. Hinata flashes him a confused look, receiving an eye-roll in response. “What? I want to see where you’re going.” He hesitates. “That sounds creepy. I meant that I’m curious. I was going this way already.”

Hinata can’t argue when he’s struggling to breathe, so he just keeps sprinting, and Kageyama silently matches pace with him.

Running somehow feels much easier when he isn’t alone.


End file.
